Master of the Lake
by Razord
Summary: After the lizardmen's defeat by the forces of Nazarick Cocytus has to face the arduous task of uniting all the tribes in one village, and to make things worse other forces are acting in the shadows which can ruin the Guardian's efforts. Non-canon narration of the events between chapter 4 and chapter 8.
1. Chapter 1

Ruling over a population was no easy task, something which Cocytus was keenly aware of.

In order to test the strength of Nazarick's forces he had been ordered to conquer the nearby tribes of lizardmen, which the Guardian of the 5th Floor managed to accomplish after defeating and killing in battle the tribe leaders.

Since he had been impressed by their fighting spirit however Cocytus pleaded with his master Ainz Ooal Gown to spare the lizardmen and had received the order to rule them and instill in them feelings of genuine respect and adoration towards Nazarick.

Being able to do something like that to those who have been conquered through force was a huge task that no other Guardian had done before in the Great Tomb.

It was difficult enough to make Cocytus'various hearts skip a beat simultaneously whenever he thought about it.

But sulking about the enormity of this challenge would not bring any result with which to compensate the faith his master Ainz-sama put in him, so Cocytus steeled his resolve and moved to reach the entrance of the lizardmen's village.

That was originally just the Green Claw tribe's village, but in order to face the threat of Nazarick's army they temporarily joined forces with the rest of the lizardmen and now after their defeat it housed all the surviving members of the alliance.

As soon as Cocytus arrived the sentries gave the alarms and the non-combatants inside hurriedly retreated in the huts: despite being alone his fighting prowess had been witnessed two days before, so he was a very concrete threat should he decided to rampage inside the village.

After everyone was safe a representative came outside, a young albino female with scales that gleamed like alabaster.

Despite her age and skin condition Crusch Lulu's druidic abilities were strong enough for her to be recognized as a tribe leader, and with her other previous equals dead she was the de facto leader of her kin.

"I welcome you to the lizardmen village, Cocytus-sama. How may we be of service to the Supreme Lord of Death Ainz Ooal Gown-sama?"

"Starting. From. Today. I'm. The. One. Tasked. With. Ruling. This. Village. So. I. Would. Like. To. Meet. The. Various. Tribe. Leaders. In. Order. To. Decide. Some. Initial. Guidelines."

"Understood, may you please wait inside the assembly hall? I'll go and gather the new tribe leaders..."

With a nod Cocytus walked towards the building pointed by Crusch.

Despite being bigger than the average lizardmen houses the door was still too small for him to enter without crouching.

Once inside he started waiting with his arms crossed.

Usually if he had nothing to do he would spend the time training, and indeed the hall was big enough for him to swing his weapons; however there was the risk of him getting too fired up in his efforts and accidentally beheading the lizardmen who would soon enter.

It was also inappropriate to be seen flailing around by the people he should have a civilized conversation with so he decided to simply stand there.

That way he was also able to focus his thoughts in order to better plan how to handle the current situation: he now had to convince individuals with different goals and wishes to work together.

The different tribes also have suffered unjustices and wrongs who could prevent them from accepting to be close together if not to fight a common enemy so their mutual cooperation would not be so easy.

Once the lizardmen entered the hall they went close to Cocytus for the first time and were very intimidated by him.

They were all young because the elders were massacred by the Guardian in front of them, however since they saw him from afar they had now idea just how big he was: adult lizardmen reached 1.90 mt of height so they were slightly higher than the average man, but they could not even reach Cocytus's chest as he was a staggering 2.50 mt tall.

His looks were just as threatening as his height, being a muscular humanoid insect with 4 arms, ice spikes on his back and a great tail behind that looked sturdy enough to break a tree with one swing.

His body's blue exoscheletron was shaped like a samurai's armor and looked just as cold as the various blue eyes in his long head, while the great mandibles that protruded from his mouth seemed able to cut any of his onlookers in half.

The lizardmen's sudden arrival made the growing tension in the insectile Guardian explode as he slightly lost control of his ice powers and puffed an ice mist from his mouth, which the lizardmen misunderstood as displeasure for their delay so they hurriedly bowed:

"We apologize for the delay, Cocytus-sama!"

"It. Doesn't. Matter. Now. Let's. Begin..."

Replied the Guardian magnanimously, then since there were no seats inside he simply crossed his legs and sat.

Despite this he still did not have to raise his head to look in the eyes the lizardmen who were standing near him.

Once everyone else was seated he addressed the only one he recognized, Crusch Lulu:

"Why. Shasuryu. And. Zaryusu. Are. Not. Here?"

He was referring to the two brothers who were among the ones who challenged him in combat and who were the last ones to fall.

Cocytus had personally asked to his master Ainz to resurrect them because their fighting and strategic capabilities were outstanding, managing to outwit him twice in the two battles they fought against Nazarick.

They would surely be useful to him now, so he was disappointed they were not present.

"Zaryusu, Zenberu and his brother have been resurrected, however they're unfortunately too tired and need to recover. I hope we can make up for their absence..."

"It's. Fine... The. Supreme. Being. Ainz-sama. Has. Ordered. Me. To. Rule. You. But. In. Order. To. Do. So. You. Will. Have. To. Stay. Reunited. In. This. Village. And. Prosper."

At that point one of the tribe leaders got up and protested:

"To stay so close to opportunists like the Dragon Tooth tribe is unheard of! They would surely take all the best fishing spots for themselves! They..."

He probably wanted to continue his verbal assaults, but a sudden gust of gelid wind from Cocytus' mouth chilled both his body and his spirit.

"How. Noisy... Still. I. Commend. Your. Courage. For. Daring. To. Interrupt. Me. What. Is. Your. Name?"

"Ah-ahhh... Kyuku Zuzu, leader of the Razor Tail tribe, Lord Cocytus!"

"Kyuku. Zuzu... I. Will. Remember. That... It. Seems. That. There. Are. Enmities. Between. The. Clans. Can. You. Explain. This. To. Me. Kyuku. Zuzu?"

"Ah, just Kyuku is fine, Mighty One...

Most of the feuds came from a period of shortage of fish which made the tribes fight each other in a great war in order to survive.

The amount of food in the lake is limited, so we're susceptible to every changes and have to spread out to find new hunting spots: if we stay all together in the same place we'll quickly end up the supplies..."

"I. See. Food. Can. Be. A. Problem..."

Cocytus was equipped with items that negated any requirements for nourishment or sleep and eliminated fatigue in order to be able to fight for days without any need to rest, so he was not used to consider such ailments.

Since they were beyond his military expertise he was also unable to come up with an easy solution for this problem, however that did not mean he could do nothing.

He stood up, then moved his head around to look at each of his newly subordinates in the face:

"Umu. This. Meeting. Has. Been. Very. Useful. I. Need. To. Go. For. Now. I. Will. Return. As. Soon. As. Possible"

and exited the hall while the lizardmen bowed in deference, directed towards the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Indeed, even if he had not an answer to feed the lizardmen he knew one being whose intellect surpassed any other: his all-knowing master, Ainz Ooal Gown.

* * *

Meanwhile, numerous pairs of eyes were observing the reptilian village from afar.

A group of toadmen was spying what was happening there while hidden in the waters of the lake.

One of them then croaked:

"What our sentries said is true: our long time enemies have been weakened! Go relay that to our boss!"

A messenger quickly detached from the group and swam away directed towards the other end of the lake.

This was a golden chance for them to finally acquire the full control of the lake, they could not let this pass...


	2. Chapter 2

'Ah, what a pain. The fees for Sebas and Solution's expenses are quickly piling up with my own as Momon the adventurer... Being important is expensive...'

As a normal salaryman Ainz had never experienced how much wealthy people had to pay in order to keep up their appearances.  
He currently had a good income as a high ranked adventurer, but since he had to stay in the best inn in order to not seem like a cheap person and had his subordinates Solution and Sebas disguised as a rich merchant's daughter and his butler most of the money he earned went wasted.  
He just finished eliminating a goblin's tribe, but even that job's money was barely enough to cover everything he had to pay.

'Please gods, don't let my expenses go any higher...'

When he returned to the tomb of Nazarick he found a world class beauty that was waiting for him at the 10th floor.  
As soon as her golden eyes saw him she spread the black wings she had at her waist while greeting him:

"Welcome back Ainz-sama"

"Thanks, Albedo. Has there been any problem while I was gone?"

"No issue has happenened, however Cocytus has just arrived and requested an audience with you"

Ainz was surprised and unsettled by that: after all it was the first day after they subjugated the lizardmen, could it be that some complication has already arised?  
He handed the task of ruling to Cocytus in order to spur his growth, but also to avoid having to do such a difficult work himself.  
For someone unable to handle even his own finances, something like governing a race was way beyond his abilities.  
He did not want to see Cocytus, but he had promised to give him all the support he could so he forced himself to find the resolve to this situation.

"Very well, then let him enter. I shall hear him right now"

A maid was then dispatched to relay the message to the guards outside, and after a few minutes the Guardian of the 5th floor made his entrance.  
Once he reached the bottom of the stairs to the throne Cocytus bowed in deference.

"Many. Thanks. For. Finding. The. Time. To. Meet. Up. With. Me. Ainz-sama... Actually. While. The. Lizardmen. Seem. To. Have. Accepted. The. Supremacy. Of. Nazarick. Another. Problem. Has. Arised: The. Food. Provided. By. The. Lake. Doesn't. Seem. Enough. To. Support. The. United. Tribes'. Population..."

After hearing that Ainz silently gasped: how could he forget such an obvious matter?  
Just because Nazarick was self-sufficient didn't mean everyone outside was the same as them.  
What's more, he heard from Demiurge that the lizardmen ate almost exclusively fish, which meant he could not easily fix that issue with imported wheat from the nearly kingdoms.  
He had to find a way to quickly gather great amounts of a specyfic nourishment, but how?  
While racking his non-existent brain for an answer he suddenly remembered of an item from the Treasury which seemed like the perfect answer: Daghdha's Cauldron.

Note: Daghdha was an irish god of fertility, described as a man with one weapon in one hand which could both kill with one hit as well as return the dead to life and a cauldron which never emptied

He blurted out the name of the item without thinking, but he immediately regretted it: after defeating the raid boss Daghdha he and his guildmates had the chance to obtain one of two quest items.  
One was the boss' scythe which had a higher chance than usual to inflict instant death, while the other was his cauldron which was far more interesting: by putting money inside of it one could have in exchange a proportional amount of any kind of base food, which was useful for crafting healing items and meals for debuffs anywhere...  
That is, provided one had enough cash to pay for them.  
The cost was not a issue when Ainz was still in the server and had the backing of his comrades, but in this new world it was a different matter altogether.  
Ainz did not want to use the gold collected by his friends if possible, so the only other way he had to provide for the Cauldron's price was with his adventurer's incomes.  
Granted, the item was very efficient in terms of cost so it could probably produce around a hundred fishes for a gold coin, but it was not easy to produce enough nourishment for a whole village.  
Plus if other species will be subjugated and required food too...  
The costs would definitely become too high even for the earnings of a high rate adventurer...  
Albedo who was standing near him congratulated him for his solution:

"An excellent suggestion, Ainz-sama! I'll send an emissary to the Treasury and order Pandora's Actor to fetch Daghdha's Cauldron immediately!"

It would seem he had no time to think for a better answer, so he decided to roll with it.  
Still, there was yet one thing he could do in order to partially fix this situation and hopefully limit the strain on his wallet.

"Umu, it seems like this problem is fixed. However... Cocytus: a leader needs to be able to provide for his subordinates' well-being, which includes ensuring they are fed enough. From now on, consider finding for the lizardmen a source of sustenance external to Nazarick as a high priority."

"I. Hear. And. Obey. Ainz-sama! I'll. Take. My. Leave. Then. Many. Thanks. For. Your. Insights."

After Cocytus left the Throne Room Ainz turned his head towards Albedo.

"Albedo, go and call Narberal Gamma. It is time to go take another quest..."

The toadman envoy quickly traversed the lake underwater and reached the middle: the lake was shaped like an upside-down gourd, with the lizardmen dwelling in the shortest half.  
The bigger other part was inhabited by huge sea monsters so the toadman had to swam near the shore in order to avoid them.  
He kept swimming until he reached a place where the lake had a branch to the right.  
There it split into numerous smaller ponds, which were ideal for the toadmen to live.  
That was because despite having a bigger size and a more humanlike appearance, their skin was still similar as normal the toads' one so they had to keep themselves well hydrated.  
However living on the lake's surface through stilt houses was dangerous due to the sea monsters being able to easily crush the buildings to force out their inhabitants.  
That said since the toadmen were 1 meter long from head to toes mere insects were not enough to satiate them so the shoals of fishes who dwelt in the lake were an invaluable resource, thus they lived on the shores where they made their settlements.  
In order to protect their skin from the heat of the sun while conserving the rain's precious water they made the roofs with a net of branches that prevented the sun rays to pass while the raindrops could go through freely and ensured the soil was kept moist.  
The houses were then connected with passages with a similar design as the houses which divided the available space in sectors and made the villages look like oversized beehives.  
Since toadmen could hop like their smaller cousins they were able to quickly jump from one sector to another without being bothered by having to travel short areas before frequently turning, while enjoying the air-conditioned spaces created this way.  
Once the toadmen reached his tribe leader's house he quickly bowed in front of him: "Gaphyphy is back with news, Greazht-sama! It appears that the lizardmen have finished the battle against the invaders from the forest and managed to win!"

Greazht opened one of his eyes as he heard that: when they found out that their old enemies had banded together they feared an assault to avenge their previous defeat at the hands of the humanoid amphibians so they sent in spies to observe them while they prepared to fight back.  
Once the toadmen uncovered it was a defensive act they relaxed, but kept surveying from afar what was happening.  
If they drew too close they risked being spotted so they had to stay hidden underwater where they could run away quickly if needed.  
That also meant that they could only have a rough estimate of the situation, but it seemed that the lizardmen had managed to repel the initial invaders.  
Since they likely suffered heavy losses however this was a golden chance to finally clear out the toadmen's hated enemies and obtain the full control of the lake and its resources.  
The only problem would be convincing the Toad King to gather the troops for battle...  
Greazht preferred to keep the interactions with his monarch to the bare minimum so he was not elated at the idea of going to parley with him.  
That was because that individual was a tyrant of the worst kind.  
The toadmen used to be led by a council of elders, however the one who would be later known as the Toad King one day suddenly appeared and slew them all, thus taking control of all the tribes.  
He dwelt inside a cave underneath the waters of the lake, with a net of informers who supposedly had the task of relaying his decrees, but whose primary duty was actually to ensure no one dared to challenge his supremacy.  
If Greazht wanted to mobilize his people's full military might then there was no way but to have the acceptance of the Toad King, so he rose up his feet and went to the lake.  
He then jumped in the water and swam quickly to the entrance of the Toad King's lair.  
There the path deviated upwards until the toadmen arrived in a cavern outside the waters.  
The space inside was very wide, yet thanks to all the torches it was possible to see the details inside: a straight path lead to a pond where a toad resided.  
His body was bloated, most likely from his lifestyle since even in that moment he was eating, with a group of toadmen who acted as his servants, who were continuously giving him fish heads and other delicacies while ensuring that the embers around him kept the cavern's temperature at optimal levels.  
The pudgy toadmen opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer, then croaked:

"Who dares to enter my lair?"

The tribe leader immediately bowed while answering:

"Your loyal subordinate Greazht, here to deliver some interesting news for Your Majesty!".

Despite the harmless look of the tyrant, Greazht knew he should not underestimate him: right after he became the Toad King a group of rebels went in that same cave to assassinate him and avenge the elders, however none of them came back.  
According to the rumors he heard the Toad King's power resided in what was beyond the curtains that were currently on his back: one of the toadmen's most powerful ability lied in their ability to use their voice to charm the other species and control them.  
This allowed the toads to subjugate the great beasts that lived around the lake and use them to win the battle against the lizardmen.  
This power only worked on less intelligent species, however the Toad King had somehow managed to enslave something strong enough to single-handedly defeat all the elders, who were experienced fighters on their own right and who could control any of the creatures usually employed by the toadmen.  
After pondering for a while the Toad King spoke:

"Hmm, very well. Depending on what you have to say I'll decide whether to forgive your intrusion here".

The situation was dangerous, Greazht could heard something growl behind the back of the tyrant, however he was confident he could avoid the same fate that befell the rebels who entered the cave a few years before.

"Yes, we have just discovered that the lizardmen have fought a battle with an unknown enemy who left both sides in dire straits! We can exploit this situation to exterminate them once and for all! I humbly ask for your permission to rally our forces and finish the lizardmen off!"

The Toad King closed his eyes, while thinking.

"Umu, this is indeed intriguing... An unknown enemy, uh?... But if they were about equal in might with the lizardmen it should not be a problem... Thinking about how those filthy inferiors are polluting with their presence my lake makes me furious... Very well, I'll allow you to gather My troops. However remember that failure will not be an option. Now go and return when you will be able to declare that all the lake belongs to me!".


	3. Chapter 3

Cocytus arrived at the lizardmen village with a series of carriages behind him which were dragged by untiring hundead horses.

The humanoid reptiles who were near the entrance saw him and were initially afraid, however when they shifted their gaze to what laid beyond the Guardian they could not believe it: it was a convoy filled with a massive amount of fishes, such an aboundance that not even the combined hunter squads could get in one go.

They warned the rest of the village and soon the whole population was surrounding Cocytus, yet the latter's intimidating looks prevented them from reaching the food in front of them.

Noticing their hesitation Cocytus decided to reassure them:

"This. Is. A. Small. Gift. From. The. Tomb. Of. Nazarick. As. Long. As. You. Submit. To. Our. Master. Ainz. Ooal. Gown-sama's. Will. You. Shall. Never. Again. Have. To. Feel. Hunger!".

He then gestured as if to showcase the bounty he just brought.

After hearing his words the lizardmen abandoned any hesitation and ran to the carriages, eating as much as they could and improvising a party on the spot.

Among them one decided to approach the one who made all of that possible: Crusch Lulu approached Cocytus with a dubious look on her eyes.

"Can it really be so easy to get this many fishes? Or is there a hidden price to pay?"

"This. Food. Was. Made. With. My. Master's. Powers. After. He. Heard. Of. His. Subjects'. Need. For. It"

Crusch was astonished by that.

"S-so not only can he resurrect from the dead and bow the forces of Nature to his will, can he create from nothingness too?".

It was too much: this mysterious individual who recently barged in the lizardmen's lives, this Supreme Beings might...

Was it bottomless?

Were there any limits to what he could do?

Why did he make the lizardmen fight his army if one of his spells could change the laws of the world themselves?

She had no answers to her numerous questions, so all she could do was hope that this God would find her species worthy of being kept alive...

While she was sulking in her thoughts Cocytus was looking around, however despite being tall enough to look around the crowd he could not find someone, so he decided to ask to the female lizardmen in front of him:

"I. Can't. See. Zaryusu. Is. He. Still. Weakened. From. The. Resurrection. Aftereffects?"

Crusch jumped like a spring at the name of her beloved one: did Cocytus want to do something to him?

"A-ah, no... He's better today, however he went to tend to his fish farm... May I ask why you want to see him?"

The Guardian was relieved that the condition of one of his outstanding subordinates has improved, yet he was confused by one fact: 'Did she just say Fish fan?'.

Cocytus was enraged and disappointed at Zaryusu's apparent lack of concern for managing his people's food, but decided to check for himself why he decided to make such an useless tool.

"I. Wanted. To. Borrow. His. Wisdom. In. Order. To. Discuss. The. Plans. For. The. Lizardmen's. Future. His. Experience. Would. Surely. Come. In. Handy. For. That."

"Oooh, now I understand... In that case allow me to show you the way."

* * *

Zaryusu was tending to the fishes in front of him when he sensed something really dangerous behind him, so he quickly turned his head towards the threat while moving his arm towards his lance Frost Pain, then he recognized who was standing near him.

Still, it was quite rare for one to be able to meet again their own murderer, but there was the same Cocytus who slayed him a few days before.

Zaryusu was honestly confused at how to deal with that situation: his warrior instincts screamed for him to try to avenge his previous loss.

That would also help freeing his people from their new rulers.

And yet those same ones dear to him were the reason why he could not lay a hand on the Guardian of Nazarick: he was still too weak for that, so he had to train in order to be able to protect what he held dear.

In that world the weak obeyed the strong, so until he became one of the latter his only choice was to endure.

Cocytus looked at the lizardman, then nodded:

"It. Seems. That. You've. Recovered. Well. From. Your. Resurrection."

After a moment of hesitation Zaryusu accepted the words of concern spoken to him:

"Yes, many thanks. However I'm not used to stand still for long so I decided to make myself useful by tending for my fish farm..."

With a surprised look the insectile Guardian saw what was beyond the lizardman.

"So. that's. the. fish. fan!"

Cocytus could not believe he doubted the sanity of his subordinate.

At the same time an idea struck his head like a lightning: he had not thought about it before, but if his problem was the fish being limited then all he had to do was to increase the amount of existing fishes instead of creating new ones out of thin air.

And the lizardman in front of him had not only been able to come up with that solution before him, but had already researched a method to make that idea come true.

Cocytus finally realized why his Master was so interested in gathering talented individuals and make them grow under his protection: a man with a talent for swordplay might change the course of a battle, but a man with a sharp mind might as well change an entire Nation.

Still, after getting the input from the talented Zaryusu it was the job of the resourceful Cocytus to increase the results with all the knowledge and skills in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

He felt a slight guilt about asking for more help from his master, but that was the best way to get results and it also meant that the strain to the resources of Nazarick would lessen so it was like killing two birds with a stone.

After saying goodbye to Zaryusu Cocytus activated his personal teleporting skill to reach the entrance of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Since he still did not have a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown who granted freedom of teleportation anywhere in the Tomb with few exceptions he had to wait for the Guardian of the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary to identify him and allow him to proceed.

The fact that he did not feel to be worthy enough of such a mighty ring reignited his desire to prove himself in the eyes of his master.

However once he reached the Throne Room the last of the 41 Supreme Beings was not there: according to the maid who was cleaning up the place he just left to complete a mission while posing as the adventurer Momon along with the battle maid Narberal.

Just as Cocytus was wondering what to do he saw his fellow Guardian Demiurge arrive from the entrance.

As always the demon had a very confident and dignified way to walk, but despite not having proper eyes behind his glasses his eyebrows betrayed his surprise in seeing the insectoid in front of him.

"Cocytus, I did not expect your comeback from the lizardmen village to happen so soon"

at which point Demiurge assumed a worried look as he continued.

"Did a problem arise in taking control of those tribes?"

Cocytus had initially thought of seeking advice from his Master's wisdom for the improvement of the fish farm, however this was an unexpected strike of luck: Demiurge was the most intelligent being in all of Nazarick along with the Guardian Overseer Albedo, so Cocytus could ask to him in order to not bother the Supreme Being with such a menial problem.

"To. Tell. The. Truth. The. Lizardmen's. Food. Is. Insufficient. For. The. United. Tribes. Needs..."

Cocytus then explained to Demiurge his latest encounters with his new subjects and the initial answer given to him by Ainz.

As he was listening the worried look on Demiurge's face was replaced by a more relaxed one.

"I see. The denizens of Nazarick have been created so that they would not require external nourishment from what the Supreme Beings have already allocated for them.

However the same is not true for this world, bound to more material needs.

Still, this concern was an expected one, ever since we gathered information about the lizardmen traditions when we fought them so Ainz-sama should already know his solution was ineffective..."

Demiurge paused for a couple of seconds thinking about it, then he realized something. He raised an index in direction of Cocytus, then continued with confidence.

"I believe this has all been a part of Ainz-sama's way to incite your growth: his way of giving you the answer who fits best with your current train of thought helps you ponder about ways to improve your conclusions rather than simply give you the correct solution from the beginning".

Cocytus was amazed at his master's cunning, who in a short amount of time was able to think of such an effective way to make his subordinate improve while still offering his full support.

"As. Expected. Of. Ainz-sama. The. One. That. Even. The. 41. Supreme. Beings. Consider. Their. Leader!".

When Demiurge heard that a proud smile surfaced in his face for having the blessing of being one of the direct servants of such an outstanding master.

"Indeed, no one could have been more suited for that than him...

About the fish farms, do you mind to accompany me to that location? I wish to inspect it by myself..."

Once the two Guradians returned to where Cocytus left Zaryusu, Demiurge caught a fish with a casual movement of his hand, then while eyed by the distrustful lizardman he started inspecting it.

"I see" commented him while rotating the convulsing fish between his hands, then with one of his fingers he swiftly cut the fish's belly open, revealing the red insides.

"Hmm, this quite fascinating: this species appears to be bilogically similar to the Cyprinus carpio, or common carp.

That is a good choice since they have a good adaptability to the water's salinity"

after that he looked at the fish farm.

"You have dug a nice place for the fish to thrive through the link with the river, however they still have a way to escape.

In order to maximize the profits you must cut away all their chances for a different future...

Worry not, good servant of the Supreme Being, I will show you some good tricks to improve the fish farm you made..."

Under Demiurge's guidance an army of untiring golems was then deployed to quickly level the field around the initial farm, with the archdevil himself who did the more delicate parts which required some extra thinking like the test of the soil to ensure it's suitable for its purpose: he took a handful of soil, compacted it into a ball, then threw it in the air and cought it.

When questioned by Zaryusu the Guardian answered it was a test to see whether the ground was suitable, if the ball crumbled then he had to chose another spot.

He then made a series of holes as deep as the waist and filled them with water as a second test to see how much the soil was able to retain water.

The lizardman was surprised that there were so many preparations even before making a pond, but the changes from what he made did not end there.

While the soil was being prepared and the new fishes accomodated in their new lairs the golems started building a series of nets in the original fish farm in order to confine the animals in a limited space and ensure they could not escape.

Other golems were stationed on the borders of the farm and prevented the water from stagnating by using sticks to move the waters and swiftly eliminated the eventual insects and small animals who might prey on the fishes.

Cocytus was then left supervising the golem's work since the most delicate tasks were already made.

The way the constructs were steadily progressing in their work was similar to his own growth, since he also felt like he was gradually improving towards his desired result of becoming more useful for his master.

His satisfaction however was short-lived because a wraith suddenly appeared besides him saying

"I apologize for interrupting you, Cocytus-sama. However a huge army is directed towards the lizardmen village!"

"...What?!"

* * *

Greazht had spent the last few days ammassing the toadmen's forces: since they could control wild beasts through their hypnotic voices their strength increased exponentially when given enough time to gather more creatures under their control.

Obviously controlling such frenzied animals would be hard so the amount kept when not fighting was reduced to a minimum in order to reduce the chances of a mindless monster rampaging inside their villages, but if they only needed to keep them in control for a few days they could get several hundreds of them so this hypnotic ability was the most useful when the toadmen decided to move on the offense rather than for defense.

Thanks to the collective efforts of the various tribes they currently had 463 war beasts, with 1580 toadmen between the beast tamers, foot soldiers and mounted archers, for a complessive army of over 2000 units.

While this seemed an excessive force Greazht still had his grandfather's words to not to underestimate the lizardmen fresh in his mind: that's because despite being defeated by the toadmen's might in the past the humanoid reptiles had been very brave and powerful enemies who were able to survive their first war with the toadmen and in a few generations recover from their losses.

They were formidable enemies who had to be vanquished in that moment when they were most vulnerable after their battle with their mysterious enemies.

Once the lizardmen were gone the toadmen would completely control the lake which they could then use as their base for future expansions in search of more watery places to conquer.

If only the Toad King had not ruined everything by causing a revolution and focusing on repressing dissense rather than expanding their dominions they would have exterminated the lizardmen decades before, but in the end the wait has caused this unexpected chance to arise so it did not matter.

Still, when he thought about his ruler Greazht shuddered: he knew very well what end awaited anyone who displeased the tyrant so failure was not an option.

With renewed convinction the toadmen hopped to his mount, then turned himself to rally his subordinates:

"Brave soldiers! Today we will fight a battle that will mark our history!

Today is the day our old enemies, the lizardmen will finally be no more and the toadmen will control all the lake!

Let's march towards our glory!"

The soldiers and controlled beasts answered with a thunderous roar who shook the nearby forest as the unstoppable army moved on to crush their enemies.


	4. Chapter 3,5

Cocytus could not believe what he just heard: apparently a huge army was moving in the direction of the lizardmen's village.

This could not be a coincidence, so he inquired about the enemy's composition to the Wraith, who replied that they were an eterogeneous group with mostly composed by demihumans who looked like bipedal frogs.

When Zaryusu heard that he hissed the name of that species with hate: "The toadmen!".

Sensing that his subordinate knew who those invaders were Cocytus decided to question him.

Apparently they were bitter enemies of the lizardmen with whom they fought in the past for the control of the lake and who were able to win after a bloody battle.

Once he knew that they had trouble defeating the lizardmen Cocytus was able to relax since that meant they were not a threat for the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

At the same time an idea struck him: he had lost the first battle against the lizardmen because he lacked experience in commanding forces of similar strength with the opponent and because he underestimated them.

This howeve was a perfect chance to test his true worth as a general by using the lizardmen rather than Nazarick's overpowered troops to win against a foe as strong as them.

It was also an excellent way to further improve camaraderie between the lizardmen who were only bound by desperation against an overwhelming opponent, since they could fight while being ensured that Nazarick would defend their home regardless of the outcome.

The insectoid Guardian was certain this was a chance sent from the Heavens to completely wash away the stain of his previous defeat, so he silently thanked the 41 Supreme Beings for such an occasion.

He turned himself towards Zaryusu who expected him to say that he would send Nazarick's forces to deal with them.

"We. Shall. Defeat. Them. With. Only. The. Lizardmen's. Strength!"

Then before the surprised lizardmen could say anything Cocytus activated a skill.

Zaryusu then suddenly found himself in the middle of nowhere...

No, that was not accurate: Cocytus had activated a teleport skill towards the shores of the lake a few kilometers away from the lizardmen village.

From there they could hear the sounds of the toadmen army who was slowly but inesorably approaching.

The Guardian faced towards the direction where the enemies were coming, extended one of arms and pronounced [Jormungandr's Chill].

Immediately a huge amount of ice burst forth from his palm and swiftly formed a massive barrier.

Zaryusu looked around with his jaw open in disbelief, but the wall was over 20m tall and went as far as his eyes could see.

The insectoid Guardian released a burst of gelid steam from his mouth, then nodded in satisfaction when he looked at the freezing work of art he just created.

"Very. Well. This. Should. Stall. The. Enemy. For. A. Few. Days. Now. Let's. Think. Of. A. Way. to. Defeat. These. Toadmen. I. Will. Show. You. What. Nazarick's. War. Expert. Can. Do!"

Cocytus was very confident in his skills: he had the entire knowledge of every battle ever fought in the 41 Supreme Beings' world, so if he had even a slim chance to win he would be able to turn that into a certainty as long as he was able to command his troops.

All he had to do was to deeply analyze the opponent's army composition and from there to choose the best plan and terrain to achieve a complete victory.

After all, battles were won or lost before they even began, and he was Nazarick's war specialist with talents bestowed to him by his mighty creator, Takemikazuchi-sama.

* * *

Greazht was frustrated by the gigantic freezing wall in front of him: his scouts did not report its presence until they were suddenly stopped by it, so this had to be the result of some trickery...

While thinking about it he suddenly remembered having heard that one of the lizardmen's most prized relics was rumored to grant its owner the power to control ice, so this might have been the result of its usage.

This meant that the lizardmen were aware of their impending doom and used their trump card to buy time in order to escape or mount a resistence...

Still he was pretty sure that artifact had a limit in the number of times it could have been used, so the fact that the enemy had been forced to use it already could be considered an achievement by itself.

The problem was that the barrier was far too hard to break for them: they tried every method from using their spears, to their mounts but it refused to break down.

If this situation did not change quickly the lizardmen would be able to achieve whatever objective they had in mind.

Giving time to the enemy was very dangerous so they needed to muscle through this obstacle as soon as possible.

Greazht gulped, because the only solution he could think of was to ask to the Toad King to use his power to help them.

And considering the tyrant's temper that would be basically a death sentence for Greazht.

Still, if this war succeeded the toadmen would finally control the lake and prosper...

For the good of his nation he had to sacrifice himself in order to grant victory to his people.

With convinction in his heart the toadman directed his mount towards the lake.

While circling around the lake's shores until the ice barrier took a few hours for the army, that was mainly due to them having to move altogether, with their beasts who further slowed down the pace. A solitary toadmen on his mount was able to travel the distance in a tenth of the time the army needed.

Normally he would need to slow the pace since he was alone and there was the risk of being ambushed by savage beasts, but the rumor caused by the huge amount of individuals moving in the toadmen army had scared the wildlife, so it was still relatively safe to travel.

Once he reached the deeper shores of the lake he dived towards the Toad King's cave.

Once he surfaced he quickly bowed and awaited until he was granted freedom to speak.

"My king, the lizardmen have conjured through magic a wall that we can't break.

Please, I beg of you to use your might in order to grant you and your people the glory you deserve!"

The Toad king opened one of his eyes in a lazy way to look at his bowing subordinate, then replied:

"I sent you out expecting to hear news of my victory. Yet not only you have not succeeded yet, but you even dare to come back and pretend that I move myself to correct your incompetence?!"

The obese frog started swelling in anger, then suddenly he deflated and replied

"Very well, I shall help you crushing those vile creatures who pollute with their existence my lake..."

Greazht was startled by the tyrant's sudden change of humor: it was far too sudden to be something good.

It was also weird that he had not been executed yet, but he dared not move for fear that the Toad King might change idea, so instead he said:

"Thank you my liege! You truly are the hero of the Toadmen!"

Something behind the Toad King's throne grumbled, probably his personal beast was growing impatient since it was smelling the presence of Greazht whom it recognized as an intruder.

Now that the Toad King and his beast would enter the fight victory was assured for the toadmen: even the current army who was under Greazht's command would be like powerless flies if they faced their ruler.

The army of the toadmen was in complete disbelief as they looked at the overwhelming creature who housed their king on top of it, but what made them scream in awe was what happened next: in only one hit it made a breach in the icy barrier who they were barely denting with all their combined force.

"Amazing..."

"Un-unbelievable..."

"No wonder he's the King..."

similar whispers were coming from every mouth of the army.

Even the controlled beasts were cowering in fear in the presence of an apex predator who standed at the very top of the food chain.

While turning towards his subordinates with a bored look the Toad King uttered:

"Is this all that's needed to stop my army? I expect to see a complete victory now.

Do not disappoint me for a second time..."

* * *

Cocytus was focusing his efforts on training the lizardmen warriors along with his leiutenants.

He had used a Mirror of Remote Viewing to inspect the toadmen's army composition, so he had already come up with a strategy to defeat them.

All he needed to do now was to teach them a few strategic maneuvers needed for what he had in mind, according to his calculations everything would be ready by the following day.

For this reason he had brought them inside Nazarick's sixth floor, where there was enough space to move while preventing eventual spies from acquiring information about their activities.

While he was supervising the progresses of his subordinates one of the Wraiths he had tasked with observing the toadmen materialized in front of him, bowing immediately before speaking.

"I apologize for the interruption, but the toadmen have breached through the barrier created by you, Cocytus-Sama..."

"What?!"

The insectoid Guardian was surprised: he had chosen to use the 6th tier spell, [Jormungandr' Chill] was a spell mainly used to separate dungeon areas to better pick the mobs by dividing them.

As such its main qualities were its duration and area of effect since it was needed to last for the whole battle and prevent the monsters from easily circling around it.

Its resilience was not particularly high since its main role was to just tunnel the attention of the creatures on the tank players, so it was not very useful defensively.

Still, according to what he saw of the toadmen and their beasts they should not be able to breach it in such few hours.

Had he underestimated their capabilities?

No, it had to be the work of an exceptional individual, or rather a creature used as their trump card.

In that case he had to change his plans: he originally wanted to use Zaryusu and Zenberu as his main generals and give them the duty of observing the battlefield from the closed lines and quickly act depending on the situation.

However they would probably be the only ones who could stand up to the toadmen's trump card so the best way to use them would be to train them to face it.

The only problem would be that the time was short since the toadmen were approaching the lizardmen village so they would need to train while the rest of the lizardmen fought, but Cocytus was confident in the two lizardmen's talents.

Having made up his mind Cocytus gathered his troops, then activated his skill to teleport everyone in front of the village.

* * *

I was planning to finish everything in the fourth chapter, but it's turning up to be longer than expected, so I thought "Why not publishing what I made so far and hype a bit more the big fight?". So here is the "chapter 3.5"! Cocytus has decided to not use all the overwhelming power of Nazarick and instead rely on the lizardmen forces and his own tactical skills alone to show he's worthy of his title of War Specialist. Will that be enough? Or did he underestimate a little bit too much his opponents once again? I had to hype a bit the Toad King's power because I want to make the battle against him a little more intense... Get ready for the war in chapter 4!


	5. Chapter 4

Greazht was surprised because in front of him stood a sizeable army of almost 1000 lizardmen.

He had not heard any information about them from the scouts who were inspecting the field ahead of them, but the resolute looks and strong stances of the soldiers in front of him were too realistic to be illusions.

As a species the toadmen were weaker than the lizardmen since they were shorter and their arms were less developed, so in a fair fight they would most definitely lose.

However the current toadmen army was over double the number of the opposing lizardmen, and the war beasts within their ranks gave them an overwhelming tactical advantage.

Rather than a fight this would likely be just a one sided slaughter.

With confidence in his heart Greazht ordered the frontline to advance.

The toadmen's war beasts were composed of two races: that was because these were the strongest ones who could be affected by their hypnotic songs and with the best tactical advantage.

The first species was a kyut, an herbivorous species with an appearance similar to a a giant pangolin with three horns on their head who were normally quite docile and used their prensile tongue to reach the leaves of the trees above their heads.

That said their plaques granted them protection from arrows, while their sturdy horned head served as a potent weapon comparable to a battering ram and their backs were large enough to house a turret from which an elite team oof 3 toadmen were able to shoot arrows and spears, so they were deadly living war engines when employed in combat.

The toadmen had managed to ammass 369 of them in the last days, so now they were able to have the entire front row composed of these beasts.

By having them trample the lizardmen the kyuts would create holes from which the second line formed by toadmen armed by spears would slip in and divide the lizardmen in single cells of few individuals who could then be overwhelmed easily.

It was a simple plan made effective by the toadmen's good resources.

When the huge beasts started moving the lizardmen seemed to be in total disarray, with only the frontline that was steadily holding up while the backrow was moving in a confused manner.

Probably they intended to use themselves as meat shields to slow down the living war engines while the rest of the lizardmen run to save their own lives.

It was most likely the only thing they could do to at least save some of them after seeing this overwhelming power...

However once the kyuts reached the opposing front line something Greazht could never expect happened: the lizardmen directly behind the front lines throwed ignited torches to the beasts.

While the damage done was basically null the atavic fear for fire scared them and made them slow down.

Other warriors profited from the chance to jump on them and start puncturing between the plaques with spears coated in venom.

While the wounds would not stop them the pain from the poison made the creatures go crazy and completely override the control the toadmen had on them.

The frenzied animals were then directed towards the toadmen's own ranks by again exploiting their fear of the fire since they would obey their instincts and not go where they sensed danger.

The result was disastrous: the fate that should have been reserved to the lizardmen was now completely reversed and the toadmen were suffering massive losses.

The situation was extremely dire, so as the current chief of the united effort against the lizardmen Greazht had to do something.

He had never seen such a strategy to fight war mounts, and in a different situation he would give ample praises to the commander who thought of it.

He silently gave thanks to his grandfather who had warned him to not underestimate the lizardmen, while he gave order to unleash the other beasts they had tamed.

These were coatl, reptiles similar to 6 m long blue and green serpents with bat-like wings.

This species was extremely dangerous because unlike the kyuts they were very aggressive, and even against bigger foes they could triumph thanks to their venomous fangs and spear-like tail.

The toadmen had lost many hunters to capture the 94 specimen they currently had, but it seemed it was not wasted effort.

Unlike the kyuts coatls were immune to poison, so they would not be brought down by those venomous spears the lizardmen possessed.

Each of those reptiles was mounted by an elite toadmen knight armed with a set of long spears, which could skewer entire lines with their weapons while the beasts did swift aerial attacks then retreat safely in the sky.

The lethality of this team was leagues above the kyut corps since they were more mobile and could quickly reach wherever their presence was needed and hit strategic points of the opposing army with surgical precision.

The coatls took flight towards the lizardmen who again were in apparent disarray, but once they reached them out of seemingly nowhere the lizardmen threw out giant nets who stopped them mid-flight.

The traps were linked to cords held by a dedicated group of lizardmen who all pulled at the same time, exploiting the force and weight of the captured beasts to use them as giant hammers to crash them in the toadmen's lines.

Like what happened with the kyuts this caused many hundred of losses on the toadmen's army.

Greazht was looking in disbelief as the strategy was simply too perfect: the lizardmen seemed to have the exact knowledge and tools needed to counter everything the toadmen had.

However to both think such a plan and to obtain all the resources would be impossible in the short time between the creation of the ice wall and when the battle began...

Or did they already have those traps set up beforehand and the barrier was made to lower the toadmen's guard?

How long did the lizardmen know of the plan to exterminate them?

Greazht's mind continued to formulate one question after another as he was trying to rationalize what he was seeing.

The battle was basically over...

Or maybe not: he could still plead for his King to use his might to turn the tables.

Knowing the tyrant's temper this would be the end of him, even after he was miraculously spared once.

Still, he had to ensure his people's prosperity so he had no choice.

The fact that he was about to face death a second time made it even more terrifying, it was enough to make all his body shudder uncontrollably.

Probably if he had to move his own legs he would not be able to do it, but thankfully he was transported by his mount.

He left the battlefield to go to the lake, then he dived once more to the Toad King's cave.

After he surfaced he hopped to where the ruler was sitting, then genuflected while once more waiting to obtain the permission to speak.

While time was short he had to make sure to not spoil the king's mood by being rude to him.

"My king, the lizardmen have mounted a formidable resistence and are currently holding their own".

He could not admit to his king that they were on the verge of defeat, otherwise he would probably just execute him and ignore the rest of his people.

"We need your majestic power to break their morale and tilt the balance in our favour!"

The king replied in a surprisingly calm tone:

"It seems that if one wants something done right, they have to do it themselves.

I was wrong to put my expectations on you...

Whatever, it's time to fix this mistake!"

shouted the Toad King, with a roar who came from behind him immediately after he finished.

Greazht expected to have to travel again by foot the voyage towards the battlefield, but with the protection from the Toad King's beast they were able to directly swam on the lake's surface.

Despite the waters of the deeper part of the lake being infested by numerous aquatic monsters none of them dared to attack the group who was quickly moving over them since they sensed that only death awaited whoever would dare cross the path with that supreme manifestation of power.

* * *

Cocytus was pleased with how the battle was going on: the lizardmen had thus far suffered minimal losses, while the toadmen were slowly retreating.

Training an army to do complex maneuvers required years of extensive exercices, but if one already knew what the opponent would do then simple actions were more than enough to overturn the result completely.

That was the true value of information gathering during battles, which was something Cocytus neglected in his first skirmish against the lizardmen, but that now understood fully.

He used the Mirror of Remote Viewing to observe the opposing army, then divided the lizardmen in different teams each of which was trained to do one task that would counter a specyfic foe.

After seeing that army composition he knew the toadmen would most likely not begin the attack themselves due to their inferior height and would instead send their beasts to weaken the lizardmen, so he just kept 2 lines of lizardmen whose apparent duty was to act as front row, but in fact were mainly there to ensure the toadmen would have no choice but to use their beasts to break the formation, while keeping the specialized troops safe from the main toadmen forces and to hide their movement behind their brethren.

He had mainly taken in consideration 2 cases after looking at those forces: the toadmen could have either began the attack with the land or the air forces, so depending on the resource the enemy used first different lizardmen would be needed.

The answer he found was that instead of dividing his army in few different blocks who would take too much time to move he divided the counters in various cells of a few individuals spreaded behind the front row.

That way they were able to more quickly activate themselves depending on the threat faced and could quickly jump in the fray to act at any time they found their presence was needed.

As for the weapons he had instructed the lizardmen who remained in the village to ready the spears and nets, which reduced the use of Nazarick's technology and resources to a minimum and instead relied on plain optimization of the manpower at his disposal by using to great effect even the non-combatants.

Having dedicated troops to act against single threats significantly limited their versatility for handling multiple enemies, but in this case where he knew exactly what to expect from the opponents it had devastating effects obtained through a comparatively short training time.

If things continued that way the end would be near.

His only worry was the powerful individual that destroyed his barrier, which he could not even locate with the Mirror of Remote Viewing.

As he expected it was not among the frontlines but had been kept somewhere in the reserves.

Even though that meant the fight had an element of uncertainty it was fine since his own two trump cards were getting more time to prepare for...

While he was thinking to himself a roar shook the entire battlefield, stopping everyone who was fighting.

In the ensuing silence a series of heavy footsteps was heard, then a giant figure showed itself from the battlefield: its 10 meter tall humanoid form was similar to a giant, however that would be like comparing a boar to a pig.

The beast's grey fur was very long and thick which shielded it from cold temperatures and doubled as a very effective natural armor, while the hand's fingers were as big as a lizardman.

It was a sasquatch, a subspecies of the frost giants.

Unlike the latter it was a solitary predator which only gathered with others of its species for mating seasons, and its sightings were so rare its own existence had been considered as nothing more than a myth.

The truth to the scarce information about it however was because it was an incredibly lethal apex predator thanks to its aggressiveness and thick fur which provided it with unmatched protection.

It was a creature which typically inhabited the frozen mountains where its grey color granted it an excellent camouflage for ambushes, the reason why it was currently on the plains and in control of a much weaker species was a mystery for Cocytus, but his own next course of action was not: it had to recall immediately Zaryusu and Zenberu, otherwise this creature could very well turn the tides of the war by itself.

* * *

The Toad King was very satisfied to see all the awed looks of the people below him while he displayed his power from the throne over the head of his beast.

Normally a creature on the level of a sasquatch would be well beyond his species' hypnotic ability, however the individual who would then become the Toad King has been incredibly lucky, because he had found it as an infant.

Probably the mother had been recently slain by an adventurer group because her spawn was left alone to fend for itself.

Without someone to feed it the destiny of the creature was certain, but the toadman had found it before death could claim its life.

He then spent the following years nurturing it and exposing it to its hypnotic voice, until it became a formidable weapon unmatched by anything the toadmen ever had.

With its might the Toad King had managed to acquire complete control over his species, then he kept its exact appearance a secret by hiding it and himself in that subterranean cave and executing everyone who had previously seen it.

The reason why he had left his incompetent subordinate live after he brought news of his failures was because there was no need to waste effort in killing just him when the Toad King had in mind to simply slaughter everyone who was currently on that battlefield.

That way his trump card's identity would remain a secret from the rest of his subjects and he could reign over the entire lake with the surviving toadmen.

It was a perfect plan to reap the max benefits with the least effort.

He ordered the sasquatch to crush everyone and the beast started flailing its enormous punches mindlessly.

Greazht saw what could only be descrived as a falling meteor hitting him before his life was abruptly ended.

Resisting that fury was impossible for anything that was unlucky enough to be the its target, whether they be toadmen, lizardmen or beasts.

That was until it found an unexpected resistence in a trio of individuals: two lizardmen and an hydra were not running away from the colossal monster in front of them despite being insignificant in comparison.

Their defiant attitude angered the Toad King who ordered his creature to crush them.

The sasquatch raised its gigantic punch, then threw a fully powered fist towards them.

The only possible outcome when an object greater than oneself with the strength of a sling reach its target can only be complete annyhilation, however this time the result was different.

One of the two lizardmen revealed a spear made of ice and shouted [Icy Burst!], releasing a wave of ice that hit the punch.

While the sasquatch was immune to cold thanks to its fur the attack had been able to freeze the air around the fist and block it to the ground through the ice.

Even though the Toad King had been surprised by this act he still ordered his beast to use the other hand to squash the trio, but the other lizardman who had one arm significantly bigger than the other screamed [Fortress!] and against all odds managed to stop the strike with his bare hands.

The first lizardmen then used the hydra's long necks as a ramp to jump over the arm who had been just immobilized and climb until the head, where he used his spear to pierce one of the eyes.

Despite the damage this was not a lethal hit due to how big the sasquatch is, so the lizardman shouted once more [Icy Burst!], releasing the power of his weapon inside the creature's skull where the fur could not protect it, thus killing it instantly.

* * *

Once the two lizardmen heroes defeated the sasquatch the battle was over.

Zaryusu had been initially shaken by the creature's sheer size, but thanks to the hours of training in Nazarick's 6th floor against Aura sama's huge magical beasts he had been able to overcome it with relative ease: all he had to do when fighting a single bigger enemy was to restrict the limbs, then strike them in a weak point.

It was a simple yet effective strategy, but the frightening thing was that this astonishing result against a foe who previously devastated the lizardmen was obtained exclusively with their own strengths.

Even the tools who had such a devastating effect on the enemy were not complicated artifacts or arcane orbs, but plain sticks imbued with venom from the plants who grew up in the forest and nets not dissimilar to the ones used to keep the fishes in his farm.

If the new Master of the Lake was able to achieve this much without even relying on the godlike power and resources of the Tomb of Nazarick, then what were the limits of the one that such an outstanding individual addressed as his Master?

Zaryusu keenly felt the abyss that separated him from the Supreme Being called Ainz Ooal Gown, and knew there still much that he needed to learn in order to become someone able to protect his people.

When the beast fell heavily the impact threw the Toad King out of his seat making him land painfully to the ground.

He managed to raise his head with a lot of effort to look at the two lizardmen with a pleading look:

"I beg of you, do not kill me... I can be of use! Please, I can..."

Zenberu looked at Zaryusu near him while flexing his bigger left arm which was still lightly numbed from the punch it received from the sasquatch.

"What do you want to do with this fat frog? It might taste great if grilled due to that lard it's packing..."

"It's probably best to just end him quickly... It also looks quite sick with that pallor, you would probably get a stomachache if you actually eated it..."

Hearing his end was near made the Toad King frantic to survive, but before he could further beg the two lizardmen a frosty mist gathered in front of him.

From the haze a nightmarish figure appeared: it was a gigantic insect with pale blue shell and four arms who towered even over the already tall lizardmen.

Cocytus looked with disrespect at the defeated commander below him, then his irritation made him release a buff of freezing air from his mouth before speaking.

"Your. Actions. As. A. Leader. Were. Very. Disappointing. When. Faced. With. An. Unknown. Enemy. You. Did. Not. Retreat. To. Acquire. Information. And. Instead. Sent. Your. People. To. Their. Deaths. And. Even. Started. Attacking. Them. Along. With. Your. Enemies. Someone. Incompetent. Like. You. Is. Unneeded. For. The. Great. Tomb. Of. Nazarick. Begone!" concluded him before extending an arm towards the screaming toadman and saying [Piercing Icicle!], summoning multiple arrows of ice who riddled the screaming tyrant with holes.

* * *

The battle had been a good training for Cocytus.

He was pleased to see that Zaryusu and Zenberu were able to execute his strategy flawlessly despite the short time they had to train.

He was sure that it was largely due to their talents which enabled them to achieve such a result.

Despite their species not being strong per se their potential was vast.

It would be interesting to see how far will they be able to go under Nazarick's guidance...

While he was thinking about the future Cocytus was interrupted by an elder lich who appeared near him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Cocytus-sama, but I bring a message from your fellow Guardian Mare-sama..."

Cocytus worringly turned himself towards the newly arrived undead: it had to be something very important if it had to be relayed by a Guardian, perhaps something Ainz-related.

'It seems the future is now' Cocytus thought while a new task awaited him on the horizon.

* * *

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*  
Uff, I've finally corrected a few plotholes the story had in chapter 3.5 and chapter 4, and edited chapter 1 so that it looked less "wall-like" lol. And the big battle has began...Aaand it's already over. Pure Nazarick curbstomping style. However I tried to have the battle won through the use of tactics rather than the usual over-the-top magic. How did you find this story? Any comment are appreciated, because I think that stories are meant to provoke emotions in the reader. This is why knowing what the people felt when they read this story is very helpful and interesting to me since it makes me understand what is good and what needs improvement, so don't hold back :)


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